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John Klingberg (right) played the hero in Game Six for the Stars. (Twitter.com)

After their impressive victory over the Nashville Predators in six games, the Dallas Stars will now face another very familiar foe in the St. Louis Blues, who pulled off an equally amazing feat in taking down the Winnipeg Jets in six games.

What can we expect from this surprising Western Conference second round matchup, starting on Thursday?

For starters, these are two very similar — and very well-matched teams. It’s hard to envision a scenario in which this series doesn’t remain very tight and last six, if not the full seven games.

Both extremely tough defensive clubs (Dallas ranked second in the NHL this season), each of them really turned things on in the second half to force their way into the playoffs. In fact, over the final 33 games, no teams gave up fewer goals at 5-on-5 than the Stars (46) and Blues (47). Goals could be a premium in this series.

The Stars needed overtime on Monday, but it was fantastic to see them finally clinch a playoff round at home for the first time in 11 years. Their fans have lived through plenty of frustration in recent years, so this was a great payoff.

Defenseman John Klingberg was the overtime hero on Monday (see the video below for the goal, given the Pavarotti treatment for dramatic effect!), capping a brilliant series in which he added five assists and went +5. Injuries cost him 18 games this season, yet he still reached double digit goals for the fourth time in his five-year career.

Alexander Radulov also shone in this series, setting up the overtime winner as part of a six-point, +7 series, as he came back to haunt him old club. Coming off a career-high 29 goals and +22 rating in just 70 games, his performance will be vital to Dallas’ chances against the Blues.

For the Blues, the oft-injured Jaden Schwartz really struggled this season, managing just 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points, despite staying healthier and playing in more games (69). The right winger took a -6 after going +15 last season, and at one point, he went 22 games without a goal. Yet, Schwartz stepped up when it counted, scoring four goals — including all three in the series clincher on Saturday — with an assist over the six game series. He’s scored the last four goals for St. Louis.

Brayden Schenn was shut out in the first four games of the series, but then came alive as the Blues won the final two games, scoring once and adding two assists. After posting a career effort in 2017-18 in his St. Louis debut, he slipped to 54 points this season, and really — other than 2011-12, he has generally struggled in the playoffs. If Schenn heats up and gives the Blues yet another weapon, Dallas is going to be in trouble.

Prediction

Dallas showed tremendous ability to come back, giving up the first goal four times against the Predators, yet going 3-1 in those games. And while both teams proved they can win on the road, the fact that the Blues swept the Jets in Winnipeg was truly mind blowing. As a result, we believe St. Louis has the slight edge here, especially if Schenn and Schwartz continue to produce and provide secondary scoring.

St. Louis in seven games

RotoRob Tune of the Day

British singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull has been creating music since 1964. Her eighth album, Dangerous Acquaintances, was released in 1981, and the final track on the album “Truth, Bitter Truth” is among her melancholy classics. It was produced by Mark Miller Mundy, who also worked with Steve Winwood.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below what your prediction is for this series.

Vegas gave some of its younger players a chance to shine this season, and none of them excelled like Tuch did. Although he cooled a bit in the second half, from November through the end of January he was fantastic, scoring 14 goals with 23 assists for 37 points over a 35-game span. If you took our advice in Week Four and rode Tuch over that stretch, kudos to you. For the season, he reached 20 goals for the first time, becoming a key man on the Knights’ third line. Man, the Wild must be kicking itself for losing such a big, talented kid like this.

Among the most popular — and certainly oldest — players in the league, Chara continues to prove Fantasy worthy despite having just turned 42. He has a goal and two assists over the last three games, and since March 14, he’s tied for the league lead at +10. In fact, after a slow start, Chara went +9 in February and is +11 so far in March. He’s only scored five goals — his fewest since 2000-01, but continues to be a real asset in +/- and he still has that amazing reach that makes him such an effective shutdown defender. Small wonder the Bruins gave just Chara a one-year extension.

Anaheim had been playing better lately, much of that thanks to the scorching play of Silfverberg, who is riding a seven-game point streak (4-5-9) including scoring goals in three straight. If he continues at this pace, he could reach 40 points for the third straight season.

Hronek has spent half this season in the AHL, showing tremendous offensive talent (23 points in 28 games), and he’s looked so much better since his latest NHL recall, picking up four assists over the last four games. Detroit is focused on the future, and he’s a huge part of that, so expect him to continue to log heavier minutes down the stretch.